07/12/1941 – 02/20/2022
Sal continued his life journey into its next chapter February 20, 2022, after losing a bravely fought battle against COVID. He was 80 years old.
We know he was greeted by his parents, daughter (Connie), siblings (Loli and Manny), and nephew (Tony) with open arms.
Sal was born on July 12, 1941, to Constancio and Angelita Romero in San Juan Capistrano, California, as the sixth of ten children. The family eventually moved to Long Beach, California, where he met his wife, Carolyn, married in 1961, and started his own family.
He came to realize early on that he had a passion for retail after working for Karl’s Shoes. Sal took some business courses and dabbled with his own Import/Export business but ultimately started working for the J C Penney Company where he proved himself early on to be an excellent troubleshooter for non-profitable stores, winning their prestigious President’s Cup several times for sales excellence.
It was with the Penny Company that Sal and his family moved to Prescott, Arizona, then to Lindsay, California, and finally to Winnemucca, Nevada, in 1975. Sal saw Winnemucca as a golden opportunity to leave J C Penney and follow his lifelong dream of owning his own store. In 1980, he opened Burdette’s, and with the help of his wife, children (Phillip, Angela, Susan, Stephen, and Connie), and many workers throughout the years, was able to serve the community with the business until it closed in 2012. Even after closing Burdette’s, Sal continued to do shoe repair out of his workshop.
Sal was particularly proud of his Hispanic/Latino heritage and throughout his life participated in marches supporting migrant workers’ rights, coordinated Cinco de Mayo events, and started LULAC chapters in towns where he lived. He was civic-minded and believed in giving back to his community by participating in Kiwanis and Knights of Columbus organizations and sitting on the School and Juvenile Services Boards for Humboldt County.
Sal is survived by his wife of 59 years, Carolyn; his children Phillip, Angela Konicke (Tom), Susan, and Stephen; grandchildren Lucas, Nicole Konicke, and Mika Konicke; and numerous extended family members.
Per his wishes, he will be cremated and eventually buried in Paradise Valley, Nevada. A memorial mass for Sal will be held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church on March 21st at 11am with a rosary prior at 10:30am.
We all know how much Sal loved a party. We will be celebrating Sal at the East Hall of the Winnemucca Convention Center on March 21st beginning at 1:00pm.
We are grateful for the support of the family, friends, and community. We ask that instead of sending flowers, you honor his life by sharing kindness to others – pay it forward.
